Horological mechanism



March 21; 1933. I P, HUNGERBUHLER 1,902,126

HOROLOGICAL MECHANISM Filed 001:. 12, 1927 Patented Mar. 21, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PAUL HUNGERBI'THLER, or oBrmwrL, swr'rznarannassreivon T LANDIS & GYR, A.-G., A .romr-srocx COMPANY or SWITZERLAND HOROLOGICAL MECHANISM Application filed October 12, 1927, SerialNo. 225,785 and in Switzerland October 26, 1926.

The invention relates "to horological instruments, and more especially to novel and useful improvements in the construction of clock-mechanisms and their regulating means whereby either a spring balance or a pendulum regulator may be optionally used in assembling or may be interchanged later with a particular or standard construction of clock mechanism.

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part hereinafterand in part will be obvious herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements here-in shown and'described. 1

The accompanying drawing, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrates one embodiment of the invention, and together with the description, serves to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawing Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical elevation of a portion of a clock mechanism, with the near frame plate removed, exemplarily embodying a spring balance controlled escapement, and is taken substantially on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation, looking at Fig. 1 from the right;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary rear elevation corresponding to the upper right-hand part of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is similar to Fig. 1, except that it shows a pendulum regulator in place of the spring balance regulator, and is taken on the line 44 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation, with parts in section, looking at Fig. 4 from the right; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary rear elevation corresponding to the right-hand part of Figs. 4 and 5.

The invention is directed primarily to- 50 ward securing interchangeability, simplicity,

uniformity, facility and economy in the consign and size, and optionally useable balance preferably realized through mounting the regulating mechanism in its own frame,

struction and assembling of horological instruments, and more especially in clock mechanisms; one of the principal objects being to provide a clock mechanism of standard deor pendulum regulating means which may be assembled with the clock mechanism, or which may be later interchanged Without disassembling or otherwise disturbing the clock mechanism. A further object of theinven tion is the provision of means for speedy and accurate regulation of the clock movement,

, whether equipped with a spring balance or pendulum regulator, sothat it may be reliably and accurately regulated Within a very brief period of observation and adjustment for this purpose.

The optional interchangeability of spring balance or pendulum regulating means is structurally independent of the clock mechanism, and providing means for accurately and permanently correlating the intervening driving connection with both mechanisms. The frame for the regulating mechanism is attached to the clock frame and preferably on the exterior thereof. This object is effected in the exemplified embodiment byproviding the interposed drive between the clock movement proper and the regulating mechanism with at least one bearing of an arbor in the frame of the regulating mechanism, with cooperating means for nicely adjusting and correlating the connection of this interven- 85 ing driving means with the clock mechanism. The frame structure is likewise shaped so that the connecting drive may be slipped into the clock mechanism and the regulating device accurately positioned and fixed in place.

The means for effecting the speedy and at the same timeaccurate and reliable setting of the regulating mechanism comprises a member having a cycle of movement which is completed within a relatively brief period of time, and cooperating indicating means for indicating relatively very brief periods of time with respectto the cycle of said moving means. As embodied, a rotating hand 100 or dial is provided, making its circuit within one minute, or other comparatively brief time interval, and cooperating therewith 1ndicating means for measuring the movement,

of said moving part in fractions of a sec ond. Thus the variations of the mechanism from absolutely'correct time are-almost immediately apparent, on a relatively large scale, and thustheregulation may beeffected with unusual brevity and certainty.

In Figs. 1,2 and 3 of thedrawing'there is illustrated and exemplified an embodi ment of the invention with asp ring balance regulator device; and inFigs. 4,,5 and 6 there is shown an exemplary embodiment of the invention with apendulum mechanism.

.Referring nowby way of example'to the exemplary embodiment of Figs. 1, 2 and 3,

the flatiand parallellydisposed frame plates 1 and-2 of the clock mechanism'are shown employed .inconnection with this embodied form, comprises a circular scale 41 fixed to with the spacing and binding rods 12. The illustrated parts of the driving trainof the I clock, as embodied, comprise an arbor 3, journaled in the frame plates, with a driven'pinion 4 and a driving gear'iifixed on the arbor.

Gear 5 meshes with alpi-nion 6, fixed on an arbor 7, likewise 'journ'aled in the frame plates. A-gear-wh-eel 8, fixed to pinion 6, meshes with a pinion 9 on an arbor 10, journaled in-like manner in the frame plates.

Fixed on shaft 10 also is a gear-wheel 11,

which is the driving elementoftheclOck mechanism for the regulator mechanism of either type of regulating mechanism.

In accordance with the present preferred embodiment, a connecting driving element is provided, having at least one bearing-in the regulating mechanism and which may be slipped into the assembled. clockmechanism without mechanical disturbance or disarrangement; This connecting element, as embodied, has a pinio'n20, meshingwith the driving gear 11 of the clock, and a driving element such as a gear 21 connecting with the, usualmechanism of the spring balance escapement. The pinion andgear are fixed to rotate together on a shaft or arbor22, the

[axis m'-m of which may be brought into accurate alignment with the clock mechanism whilebeing maintained in fixed relation to the escapement, mechanism. 7 Y 1 The escapment mechanism is provided with a separate frame or casing, afiixable to the flat frame plate 2 of the clock mechanism and preferably on the outside thereof, as

shown in the drawing: For the purpose .of slipping pinion 20 and'shaft 22 into the clock mechanism without disturbance, a recess 27 is formed in the frameplate 2, extending from an outer edge of the plate sufficiently far to include the axis w w of the shaft 22.

Theshaft 22 has one end thereof journaled in the frame of the casing 29 of the escape ment mechanism, and the other end thereof is j ournaled ina'bracket30,,fixed to and pro-.

any deviation-of the clock mechanismdurk.

jecting from the inner frame plate 31 of the escapement mechanism, and extending inwardly through the aperture 27 in the clock frame plate 2, whereby the pinion 20 is positioned in mesh with its driving gear 11. As shown, gear-wheel 21vis in mesh with a pinion 35, fixed on a shaft 36, having its inner end' likewise journalled'. in the bracket 30, and the other end thereof journalled in the frame'of' the escapement mechanism. "This shaft maybe fixed directly to the escapement wheel 32 of the escapement mechanism, and

the escapement wheel 32, anchor 33, hairspring 34, and .associated parts of the escapement mechanism may beof any known or other suitable construction. The regulator-arm 37 andits scale 38are mounted on the rear of casing 29 ofthe escapement. The form of mechanismforrapidand accurate regulation of the'clock, preferably? ing an elapsed minute will be in'dicated clearly in fractions of a second bythismechanism, andthus the regulation may be effected very rapidly and very accurately.

Referring now in detail to the embodied:

form of mechanism in Figs. 4, 5 and '6, illustrating I exemplarily the application. of the invention to a pendulum regulator, theframe and parts of the driving train of the clock mechanism maybe the same as already shown.

and described, and they are indicated in 7 these figuresjby the same'reference numerals.

. As embodied,this mechanism comprises a shaft .51, concentric with the axis 00 w, and

fixed-thereto is apinion 52, meshing with and driven from the gear-wheel 11. F ixed also to shaft 51 is the escapement wheel 53. The

rearend of arbor 51 is journaled in the clock frame plate 1, and the forward end thereof is journaled' in the frameqplate which is supported the pendulum 59, which may be of known or other suitable construction and need not be described indetail. The pen dulum fork 61 has its lower forked end 62 embracing the pendulum rod. The forkfarther up is bent inwardly, passing through an aperture 63 in the plate 54 and through the opening 27 in plate 2, and has a'hub 64 fixed on a shaft 65. Shaft 65 isjournaled at one end 54 of the pendulum mechanism, which plate in the frame plate 54 of the pendulum mech anism and at the other end in the frame plate 1 of the clock. Fixed also on shaft 65 is the anchor 71, carrying the pallets 72 and 73, which cooperate in the usual manner with the escapement wheel 53.

The embodied form of regulating means cooperating with the mechanism just de scribed, comprises a hand 75 fixed on the exterior end of shaft 51, outside of and in close proximity to the pendulum frame plate 54. On the frame plate, is marked a circular scale 76, preferably marked in seconds, and the hand 75 makes a complete rotation in one minute. Thus any variations of the clock mechanism are indicated in fractions of a second during each recurring minute, and the speedy and reliable regulation of the mechanism may thereby be effected through the usual compensating devices of the pendulum.

In the embodied form of means for correlating and adjusting the position of the connecting shaft between the clock mechanism and the regulator, the axis of which is indicated by the line wzr, a slot 81 is formed in one side of the recess 27 in the frame plate 2.' Mounted also in the frame plate 2 by a tight friction fit is a disc 82, provided with a squared turning portion 83. Eccentrically positioned in the disc 82 is an aperture 84. Fixed to and projecting from the rear of the frame plate 54 of the pendulum mechanism, and in like manner from the rear of the frame plate of the spring balance escapement mechanism are pins and 86, adapted to project respectively into the slot 81 and into the hole 84 in the disc 82. Thus by turning the disc, the shaft 22 or the shaft 51, as the case may be, represented by the line mw, may be brought into the desired nice relation to the driving gear 11.

Screws 89, or other suitable fastening devices, are employed for holding the regulating device in the adjusted position already described, and the parts are combined and proportioned so that one or more of these devices may be used whether the regulator be a spring balance or a pendulum.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claims without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

\Vhat I claim is t 1. In combination, a clock movement including a gear train and a frame, said frame being provided with an inwardly recessed portion, a regulating mechanism having a separate frame, means for connecting said regulating mechanism with the gear train, and means for fastening the regulating mechanism to the clock frame.

2. A clock movement having regulating PAUL HUNGERBUHLER. 

